The Minnesota Vikings are moving into a new era after the departure of star quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency. And it now looks like they may plan on building through the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft to fill their starting quarterback role.
With the No. 11 pick in the upcoming draft next month, the Vikings will likely be missing out on the likes of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels, who are all expected to go within the top 10 of the draft.
However, that doesn’t mean that the Vikings will be missing out on a quarterback in the first round of the draft. On Monday, it was reported by Albert Breer that the team is now eyeing Michigan product J.J. McCarthy. They will be bringing him in for a private workout in the near future.
McCarthy has quickly risen up draft boards due to both an impressive performance from him at the NFL Scouting Combine and his success at Michigan this past season on a team level.
There is even discussion as to whether McCarthy could sneak into the top 10 over the likes of Maye or Daniels, which still appears to be a possibility.
That would obviously take the Vikings out of the running for him unless they opt to trade up for him.
On paper, the Vikings are a pretty natural fit for McCarthy. There is an obvious need at quarterback for Minnesota. And McCarthy would be coming into the NFL with an elite-level wide receiver at his disposal in Justin Jefferson.
Interestingly, the betting odds for where McCarthy will play in the NFL have adjusted accordingly to this new report. On FanDuel Sportsbook, the Vikings now sit as betting favorites to land McCarthy at -115.
After reports about the Vikings' plan to have a private workout with J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota is now the odds-on favorite to draft him at @FDSportsbook:
Vikings (-115)
Giants (+350)
Broncos (+430)
Patriots (+900)
Raiders (16/1)
Commanders (26/1)
Seahawks (34/1)#NFLDraft |… pic.twitter.com/uvLaM6CJ7w— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) March 18, 2024
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.